Year after Greensburg decimated by tornado, 2 twisters barely miss town

Tuesday

May 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 27, 2008 at 9:46 AM

“We have all been here before,” runs a lyric in “Déjà vu,” a song performed in the late ’60s by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — a song chillingly apropos for residents of Greensburg on Friday night as the town devastated by an EF5 tornado exactly 55 weeks earlier dodged two more tornadic bullets.

Mark Anderson

“We have all been here before,” runs a lyric in “Déjà vu,” a song performed in the late ’60s by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — a song chillingly apropos for residents of Greensburg on Friday night as the town devastated by an EF5 tornado exactly 55 weeks earlier dodged two more tornadic bullets.

Kiowa County Emergency Preparedness Director and former Sheriff Ray Stegman directed the sounding of Greensburg’s tornado sirens twice Friday as soon as sizeable funnels crossed the southern border with Comanche County -- just as happened a year ago May 4.

Stegman first directed the sirens be operated at 7:50 p.m., then tailed the large tornado as it approached Greensburg. Three miles south southwest of town, the funnel was still on the ground, again a large wedge, similar to the monster that took 11 lives in the county seat a year ago.

“It was a mile wide then where it was touching the ground,” Stegman said. Farther from the ground, in its rotation base, the tornado was closer to two miles wide, according to Stegman. Moments later, Greensburg received a much-needed reprieve, as the massive twister lifted into the air, sped over the city and set back down northeast of town, where it hit Edwards County.

“The situation was so similar to last year that it was scary,” Stegman said. “The way it came in from the south out of Comanche County and headed straight for town. The big difference is that this time it lifted just in time to spare us.

“We got so lucky with this tornado. We would’ve had so much damage out of this thing again if it had stayed on the ground. It was really phenomenal to watch. I mean, I can say that now.”

Stegman was just southeast of Greensburg, near FEMAville, as he watched the funnel soar over town.

Round two found Stegman phoning in to dispatch to sound the sirens at 9:45 p.m. as another confirmed tornado crossed the county line from the south, making a distinct beeline once more for Greensburg. Less than three miles from town, however, the funnel took a right turn, according to Stegman, heading east straight for the tiny berg of Wellsford. According to Stegman, the twister then moved northeast just before reaching Wellsford. This tornado later moved into Edwards County.

“I just had a really bad feeling as both of those got close to town,” Stegman said. “But we got lucky this time around. We deserved to.”